Wideline is a 27 year old woman from Haiti. She lives in Port-au-Prince with her sister and her sister's family. She has not been working because of her illness, but would like to return to school to study business once she is able. Wideline has a cardiac condition called atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect. Wideline was born with two holes in her heart, one between the upper chambers and another between the lower chambers. Blood leaks through these holes without passing through the lungs to obtain oxygen, leaving her weak and short of breath. It is extremely rare for someone to live to Wideline's age with this untreated condition. Because the care that she needs is not available in Haiti, Wideline will fly to the United States to receive treatment. On March 1st, she will undergo cardiac surgery, during which doctors will use patches to close the holes so that blood can no longer leak through them. Another organization, Baylor Scott and White Heart Hospital, is contributing $15,000 to help pay for surgery. Wideline's family also needs help to fund the costs of surgery prep and travel. The $1,500 bill covers labs, medicines, and checkup and followup appointments. It also supports passport obtainment and the social workers from our medical partner, Haiti Cardiac Alliance, who will accompany Wideline overseas. Wideline shared: "I am so excited to finally be able to live a more normal life!"

Theara is a playful 5-year-old from Cambodia. She comes from Kampong Speu province where she lives with her parents and two older siblings. Theara's parents work as rice farmers, and her siblings are students in elementary school. She loves ice cream and playing with her friends in the village. In 2020, when Theara was three years old, she arrived at Children's Surgical Centre with cataracts in both eyes, speech delay, and lower limb irregularities. After receiving surgery, she is able to see from both eyes and her speech difficulties have since been resolved. The surgeons did not want to perform an operation on her legs at that time, but now that Theara is older, her parents returned to Children's Surgical Centre for further consultation to help her walk more easily. She has difficulty walking, cannot run, and has not yet started school. On April 6th, surgeons at CSC will place eight plates in her lateral proximal tibia to gradually straighten her legs and improve her mobility. Now, Theara and her family need help to fund this $600 procedure. Her mom shared, "I hope her leg can straighten so she can walk and start school."

Say Poe is a 6-year-old daughter of three from Burma. She lives with her family in a village in Karen State, Burma where her grandparents and stepfather are farmers while her mother runs a small shop and the rest of the family sells rice when able. Say Poe goes to school and likes to play with her doll in her free time. Currently, Say Poe’s vision out of her right eye is blurred and she has facial palsy on her left side. Her right ear also sometimes bleeds. Her condition does not cause her great pain, but it affects her vision and makes it difficult for her to see. Doctors recommend Say Poe undergo a CT scan, a procedure in which x-ray images taken from several angles are combined to produce cross-sectional images of the body. This scan will hopefully help doctors diagnose her condition and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. Our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, is requesting $414 to cover the cost of Say Poe's CT scan and care, scheduled for March 9th. Say Poe's mother said, “I am so nervous and worry something will happen to my daughter severely. I hope she will be able to get proper treatment and has no complications [head injury post trauma]. I am worried and feel stress about her. I will try everything to help her get treatment. I want her grow up and live like other healthy children. I want her to become an educated person and helpful for the community."

Sathya is a charming, 4-year-old boy, living in Cambodia with his parents and younger sister. At home, he enjoys painting and drawing, and his favorite foods are Cambodian soup and fried eggs. Yesterday, Sathya was playing at home with a small object. His mother saw him stick a small, round, green item into his ear, and then realized, too late, that it had become stuck. Sathya is scared, and he also has pain in his right ear. Sathya's family sought help from the doctors at our medical partner, Children's Surgical Centre. On January 10th, surgeons at Kien Khleang National Rehabilitation Centre will remove the object from Sathya's ear. Now, Sathya and his family need help to raise $273 to fund this procedure. Sathya's mother said: "I hope after removing this from my son's ear, he is not in pain anymore."

Meet Nafissa. She is a 25-year old woman who shared that she tends to be very shy and reserved. She lives with her parents and her young child in an area of Burkina Faso where conflict is currently impacting their lives deeply. When she was a child, Nafissa developed a painful growth on the left side of her chin. This swelling in her lower jawbone affected her ability to eat, and was determined to be a benign tumor that needed to be removed. Her parents were able to secure the funds to send Nafissa to a hospital in Togo, where she could be treated at no cost to her family. The growth was removed, and for several years, Nafissa did well. However, the growth recurred, and in the middle of last year, Nafissa returned to Togo, where the second growth was excised. This time, however, the surgeon determined that her whole jawbone would also need to be removed. As the doctor in Togo did not have the necessary training to perform the surgery that Nafissa needed, he referred her to a physician with our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare. Miraculously, Nafissa is now scheduled for a major jaw surgery with the leading team at AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kenya. As Nafissa's husband abandoned her because of her condition, and provides no support to Nafissa or their child, Nafissa and her parents are looking to you to help fund the $1,500 procedure, which will finally relieve Nafissa of the pain and symptoms that result from the tumor. Nafissa says: “It pains me that I have to stay at home with no friends. Making it worse, I cannot work to provide for my child.”

Sophea is an 18-year-old student from Cambodia. She lives at home with her parents and two siblings. Her dad is a rice farmer and her mom cares for the children at home. Sophea spends most of her free time reading and studying. She enjoys spending time with her family and going to school. Sophea was born with club feet, a condition in which the feet are turned in and under, making it difficult to walk and balance. Currently, Sophea uses a wheelchair to help her get around. Sophea's family traveled an hour and a half to visit our medical partner, Children’s Surgical Centre (CSC), so she could undergo clubfoot treatment. On February 15th, surgeons will perform bilateral tendon Achilles lengthening (TAL) and casting. Surgery and physiotherapy will improve her mobility. The procedure will cost $572. Sophea said, “I hope I will look better after surgery and walk someday.”

Marion is a 6-year-old student from the highlands of Elgeyo Marakwet county in Kenya. She is the second born in a family of three girls and currently attending preschool near her family home. Her parents are small-scale potato farmers. One day Marion's mother went to the river to fetch water. While she was gone, her children were sitting near an open fireplace at home making breakfast. Unfortunately, Marion's dress caught fire on the open flame, and as a result, she sustained severe burns on her back, abdomen and thighs. It has been difficult for her to walk, and the wounds are causing extreme discomfort. She especially needs a third surgery to treat the severity of her burns contractures. Despite Marion's parents having medical insurance, due to previous surgeries that she has had to treat the injuries, the insurance (a monthly subscription) has run its course and is no longer an option. Her parents do not have the funds to pay for Marion's surgery and need support. Fortunately, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare (AMH), is helping Marion receive treatment. On January 25th, surgeons at their care center will perform a burn contracture release surgery that will allow her to walk with greater ease and resume her normal life at home and school. Now, she and her family are requesting $1,478 to help fund this procedure. Marion's mother says, “I am really looking forward to seeing my daughter live and walk in a normal way. I worked hard to pay for insurance coverage, but unfortunately, it cannot fund the upcoming procedure. I am disappointed, but I will not lose hope. Kindly help her.”